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DEMOS-Demokratisk og effektiv styring, planlegging og forvaltning

Improving Integration and Active Citizenship for Low-Literate Adult Refugees

Alternative title: Styrking av integrering og aktivt medborgerskap for voksne flyktninger med svake lese- og skriveferdigheter

Awarded: NOK 9.6 mill.

INTERACT focuses on low-literate adult refugees and their challenges related to integration in the Norwegian society where literacy is the norm. As low-literate and as resettled refugees they are a vulnerable group at risk of marginalization, and this is also a democratic challenge. The overall aim of INTERACT is to strengthen public services’ practices and intersectoral collaborations related to supporting integration and active citizenship for individuals in this group. We will produce insights about low-literate adult refugees’ experiences, challenges and coping strategies, including their experiences with support services. We will also produce knowledge about practices and collaborations between public and private/voluntary services engaged in supporting integration for individuals in this group. Some municipalities have implemented cooperations with NGO’s, private actors, or social entrepreneurs to develop better adapted interventions for individuals in the group. By researching two such projects, Dype Røtter and Eikra Aktiv Medborger, INTERACT will contribute with actionable knowledge about how interventions can be made more helpful for individuals in the group. The research is qualitative and will be conducted by an interdisciplinary and international team of researchers, in cooperation with the Introduction Programme and Adult Education Centres in Trondheim and Stjørdal municipalities, NAV Trøndelag, and Trøndelag County Governor. Using methods such as in-depth interviews, fieldwork observations, and video diaries, the research addresses the following research questions: -How do low-literate adult refugees experience and cope with life in Norway, and how do they experience the support from public and private/voluntary services? -How do public services and relevant private/voluntary actors understand and handle the situation and needs of low-literate adult refugees? -How can policies, practices, and coordination between services best address these needs?

Poor literacy is considered an important challenge to democratic societies. In recent years, Norway has resettled a growing number of low-literate adult refugees. Municipal integration services report that they to a limited degree achieve the goal of integration for individuals in this group. The overall aim of InterAct is to strengthen public services’ work and intersectoral collaboration to support low-literate adult refugees, thereby improving integration outcomes, in the interest of an inclusive and democratic society. InterAct will respond to identified knowledge needs by producing new and actionable knowledge about 1) low-literate adult refugees’ experiences, challenges and coping strategies, including their experiences with support services and 2) practices and collaborations between public and private/voluntary services engaged in supporting integration for individuals in this group. The project is aimed directly at a main goal in the Democracy, governance, administration, and societal security call. It provides research on how to prevent inequality and polarization among low-literate adult refugees by means of 1) improved collaboration between public services, and 2) measures implemented in cooperation between the public sector and private/ voluntary sector. InterAct takes an interdisciplinary, qualitative approach, encompassing social work, social anthropology, education, sociology, and political science. The project is founded on user-involvement and inclusive methods and will be realized as a collaboration between an international team of researchers, integration services and adult education centers in two Norwegian municipalities, the Norwegian Welfare Administration, Trøndelag County Governor, and two social enterprises – Dype Røtter (Deep Roots) and Eikra Active Citizenship. The project includes a PhD position in social work.

Funding scheme:

DEMOS-Demokratisk og effektiv styring, planlegging og forvaltning